As the summer of 2008 drew to a close, Montgomery County residents found themselves cleaning up the aftermath of the landfall of a major hurricane. The gale force winds treated pine trees like toothpicks, downed limbs big and small, and ensured we'd be without electricity for nearly two weeks. But as the electricity came back on and life returned back to normal, it seemed the winds had stirred up something more substantial. The Montgomery County Democratic Party opened it's headquarters on Frazier Street when the power came back and within days, the place had taken on a life of it's own. It was an energy driven by a deluge of new volunteers, who came from a place we would soon learn to love; "the wood works." People who had never before been involved, were soon knocking on doors, manning phones, and stuffing envelopes. We didn't just phone Montgomery County, we dialed into key battleground states around the country, directed through the Obama campaign's virtual phone bank tool. One volunteer who had lived abroad described the office as "the embassy," a friendly haven surrounded by a foreign ideology. The weeks flew by as the volunteers worked away and Hurricane Ike was replaced by an economic storm that would affect everyone in the world. As election day drew near, all eyes were on the presidential election.
We put away the call lists and door hangers and turned our headquarters into a party room. Two projector screens were brought in; one to broadcast live coverage and the other to display the latest election results on races all around the country. As the polls closed, the place started to fill up. Soon, tents had to be pitched in the parking lot to house the overflow of revelers. Each time Senator Obama took a state, a roar would erupt that could be heard for blocks around. To say that the energy in the room was palpable would be an understatement. The place was on fire! As the Illinois Senator neared the crucial number of electoral votes, a man tapped me on the shoulder and asked that I pour a bottle of champagne on his head at the exact moment the announcement was made.
Although the trend of the polls had been known for weeks and the outcome of the election was generally expected, I cannot describe the feeling that raced through me as those words were spoken by CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "CNN can project that Barack Obama, 47 years old, will be the president-elect of the United States." I poured the champagne and watched as tears poured out of one woman's eyes. Another woman could only mutter, "Oh my God." A Republican official stood near the front door, a look of absolute shock on his face. The rest of the crowd was elated to say the least. County Chair Adrienne Cadik took to standing on an actual chair to address the crowd and thank them for their hard work. "This is one of the most exciting moments of my life," she said.
I reflect back on that moment today because we are nearing the anniversary of President Obama's first year in office. To me, that moment in the headquarters on election night was more than just the culmination of a lot of hard work, though I realize that our efforts locally ultimately didn't contribute to the awarding of any electoral votes to President Obama. That moment was the culmination of an election where Democrats in this county finally felt ok to come out from hiding. After decades of being a silent minority, we made our voices heard. People that were before afraid to advertise their politics in this county with an abnormal density of Republicans, now proudly slapped on a bumper sticker and mounted a yard sign. In a county that voted for George Wallace in 1968, nearly 37,000 voters cast a vote for Barack Obama. Ultimately, we experienced a mere 2% gain the democratic performance, but at least it was moving in the right direction.
Now, after a year of an Obama Presidency, we will again come together to celebrate. We'll be celebrating a great moment in American history which we helped make possible, but we'll also be celebrating a moment in our own local history; a moment when Montgomery County Democrats came together to stand tall.
I hope that you will join me at the MCDP Headquarters Friday, January 22nd at 6:30 pm as we come together to recall our experiences and have a good time again. We'll be watching a movie, having some snacks, and offering several pieces of Obama memorabilia as door prizes. Come on out and let's see if we can get some energy flowing again!
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